Campus Life Student’s Art Gives Her a Voice
Tabitha Stephenson, Campus Life student, feels honoured to be recognized by other artists and feminists in the community for her graphic art piece, Abstracted Eyes.
Tabitha Stephenson, a student in the Campus Life program, recently had a graphic arts piece called Abstracted Eyes that was published in the 2013 Feminist Queer Review.
Tabitha created the piece to help inspire others. “I wanted to show people that I have a voice and I wanted to inspire other people with disabilities not be silent and to advocate for themselves and others.”
Tabitha says art helps her to connect to her emotions and helps her to deal with certain experiences and move forward from them. She explains the piece, “The eyes represent a society in which people are always watching you. They represent people watching you without understanding. It represents an environment in which I do not feel understood and do not feel that I have a voice because I have a disability.”
The Campus Life program has allowed Tabitha to take courses in Women and Gender Studies and theater helping her to become more knowledgeable about the people and subjects that help give her strength. Campus Life also connects her to people and other activities in an environment that she would typically be excluded from. By including Tabitha and students like her in the university community, the faculty and students at the University of Manitoba have a unique opportunity to witness and appreciate the gifts and talents of Campus Life students.
Tabitha will convocate from the Campus Life program in 2014 and she plans to go on to study Fine Arts in Red Deer, Alberta.